Some Tips for Creative Writing
Summer is almost upon us! This means fun, and sun, and relaxation. But for parents, it also means the nagging concern of how to keep the kids occupied—preferably something that will keep boredom at bay and stave off that dreaded “summer slide.”
Even tougher, what if you need an activity that can suit the needs of multiple kids with diverse interests? Do you have one kid who loves world-building video games like Minecraft and another who is into graphic novels and comic books? How about a Harry Potter or Wings of Fire fan and a kid who only reads historical fiction? Trying to please a crafting fanatic and a Lego-building aficionado? Do you know what all of these passions have in common—they all translate seamlessly to creative writing! It’s the perfect summer pastime to occupy the minds and engage the imaginations of children of all interests and abilities.
Plus—bonus—creative writing builds skills that translate to academic writing. A win-win for parents and kids! Creative writing involves:
Planning and research,
Organization,
Mechanics like sentence structure, capitalization, spelling, and punctuation,
Revision and editing skills,
Critical-thinking,
Knowing one’s audience, and much more.
Read on for tips and tricks that promote creative writing at home and find out about a summer creative writing camp that will have your budding author begging for “just five more minutes of writing” before bedtime.
One Step at a Time—The 5 Steps to Writing
Writing is a process. So, the first step in supporting your young writer is to help them begin at the beginning and take each step in its own time.
1. Prewriting is the research and planning phase. It could look like any or all of the following:
Brainstorming, freewriting, list-making, or word associating to come up with ideas,
Reading books or looking up facts about subjects related to their topic,
Creating character profiles, maps, or detailed scene descriptions,
Drawing or sketching visual elements or creating a vision board for inspiration, and
Outlining the arch of their story, including the introduction, the conflict, and the resolution.
2. Drafting is where that blank page actually gets filled with words. The key here is to focus on just getting it all down. It doesn’t need to be perfect; revision happens later! Sometimes the hardest part is getting started. So, just encourage them to write one sentence (it doesn’t even need to come from the beginning of the story) and work from there.
3. Revising, which literally means “to look at something again,” means big-picture changes to a piece of writing, including:
Reorganizing the piece and moving sections around,
Deleting parts that are repetitive or don’t contribute to the story,
Clarifying pieces that are confusing,
Adding additional detail and description,
Adding missing pieces to help the story flow and make sense, and
Crafting that perfect opening hook and conclusion.
4. Editing is the proofreading phase. Now, it’s time to take care of those pesky misspellings and sentence fragments to really make the piece shine! Time to tackle spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and major issues with sentence structure. Hint: Allow some creative license here for your child’s original writing voice to shine through. Don’t worry about making everything grammar-textbook-perfect. The more ownership they feel, the more they’ll want to write again!
5. Publishing is the time to share the final masterpiece and celebrate your author’s success! If your child wants to add illustrations or design a cover, now is the time. Then, find a format to share the piece with others. This could be asking your child to read their story to the family over dinner or emailing a digital version to extended family. You could take it to a print shop and have a few bound copies made. Make sure you include your child in decisions about publication and affirm, affirm, affirm the final result!
Tips for Supporting Your Creative Writer
Here are some more tips for encouraging your young writer, whether they are eager or reluctant, to put pencil to paper or fingers to keyboard.
Ditch the red pen. Resist the urge to correct every error especially in your child’s creative writing. Use workbooks or separate exercises to work on mechanics while trying to focus on appreciating your child’s unique writing voice and developing their creative ideas!
Respect the process. Sometimes the best idea fizzles out in favor of a new one. Sometimes an earlier step needs to be revisited before a writer can proceed. A writer’s life in the “real world” is full of unfinished works in progress and messy starts. All writing is valuable, not just polished, finished pieces.
Provide space and tools. Does your child prefer a clicky keyboard or a fabric-covered journal and colored pencils? Maybe they’d like to write outside under a big tree or in a blanket fort. Set them up for success!
Read, read, read. Stephen King advised in his On Writing, “If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write.” Enough said.
Be an engaged reader of your child’s writing. Ask sincere questions. Give specific and authentic praise. Notice the details and the effort. Celebrate progress. Writing is hard; be your child’s biggest fan!
A Summer Creative Writing Camp to Write Home About - Bridges Project Ink
Now, you’re equipped to champion your creative writer right from the kitchen table. But if you’re looking to hand this over to the experts and you live in the Irvine area, consider Project Ink’s Summer Creative Writing Camp!
Monday through Thursday for two weeks, children entering grades 4th through 8th will complete a fictional writing project under the guidance of positive, knowledgeable teachers. Choose from either morning (9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.) or afternoon (1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.) for your child’s three-hour sessions.
Small class sizes and a peaceful, organized learning environment ensure that each child receives personalized attention and plenty of assistance as they work through the five steps outlined above.
The outcome? Your child comes home with a finished project to be proud of—their own work of fiction ready for sharing with friends and family. Camp even includes time for adding literary elements like graphics, a creative cover, table of contents, dedication, about the author, and back-cover summary.
Your child has a story to tell! A summer creative writing camp is the perfect way to help them get it on paper. Come check it out!